A fierce, cold wind swept in from the north, carrying snowflakes that skimmed the ground and swirled up withered, yellow grasses. The desolate scenery was still scenery in itself. If the sentimental poets of the capital were to witness such a scene, they might well compose verses that the common people would never understand.
The lanterns of the capital were their subjects of poetry, as were the Yangtze River, the empire's largest river. The delicate courtesans of the Half-Moon Pavilion in the capital were also their subjects, though undeniably, the girls of the Half-Moon Pavilion were beyond the reach of ordinary men.
And the battlefield and carnage were always excellent themes for poets to lament.
The New Year had just passed, and the weather was still unbearably cold, especially in this desolate place on the northwestern border of the empire. It was no exaggeration to say that if someone had prostate problems, their urine could freeze right up to their useless member.
Dozens of corpses lay scattered outside the small grove. Because of the extreme cold, the bodies were already as hard as stone. In the setting sun, the frozen blood on their corpses reflected an eerie color, much like the wine produced in the Western Regions, viewed through an exquisite crystal glass.
The leather boots crunched through the congealed blood, making a cracking sound.
A border soldier clad in imperial black leather armor and a dark blue uniform walked up to the corpses, wiping two icicles dangling from his nose. He said with a hint of smugness, "Forty-three heads taken, looted goods recovered—not a huge achievement, but not insignificant either. At the very least, I, the deputy lieutenant, will get a half-rank promotion. If I really get promoted to captain, I'll treat you all to a night of revelry at the Red Sleeve Inn."
"The squad leader's just bragging again!"
A border soldier shook his head and said, "Even if you, squad leader, gave us five years' worth of pay, it wouldn't be enough for each of us twenty-three brothers to have a drink at the Red Sleeve Inn."
"With Fang Jie here, do you think I need to pay?"
After saying this, the border squad leader, Li Gandang, paused, looked back, and then asked as if remembering something, "Where's Fang Jie? I haven't seen him since the fighting started!"
"Is that surprising?"
Fu Baobao, a border squad leader who had survived eleven battles between the Empire and foreign enemies, sighed. "My eleven survivals in battle are nothing compared to Fang Jie's," said one soldier. "I bet he could survive a hundred and ten more battles."
Squad Leader Qiu Xiaoshu chuckled, "He has a fortune to guard, so naturally he's afraid of death. You're different; you're a bachelor… eleven battles and you're still just a corporal? That's hardly something to be proud of."
Fu Baobao said earnestly, "I never deny I'm afraid of death, and I'm proud to have survived… But what about that b*st*rd Fang Jie? He never thinks he's afraid of death, but when has he ever dared to approach bandits? I bet in a quarter of an hour that b*st*rd will emerge from somewhere grinning, and say to us with an easy smile: 'To celebrate another great victory for our border army, I'm treating everyone to drinks at Yunji Dog Meat Bun Shop!'"
The twenty-odd border soldiers who were organizing equipment and counting corpses nodded almost simultaneously. He wholeheartedly agreed.
"You should be content!"
Qiu Xiaoshu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ever since this guy named Fang Jie came to Fanggu City, our meals have indeed improved a lot. You can't deny that among the eight hundred border soldiers and two thousand civilians in Fanggu City, not a single one dislikes that guy."
"A person who is extremely afraid of death, yet everyone likes him, why?"
Fu Baobao asked, pouting. "Because..."
Team Leader Li Gandang bent down and pulled a gold chain from the bandit leader's neck, breathed on it to warm it, and examined it closely. "That Fang Jie guy... he's d*mn good at making money. Life in Fan Gucheng gets better year after year because of him. I bet... even the Imperial Guards of the capital don't have our equipment! And they don't eat as well as we do!"
Just then, a handsome young man, seemingly fourteen or fifteen years old, appeared out of nowhere. Wearing ill-fitting leather armor, he rubbed his hands together and walked over with a grin, saying, "To celebrate another great victory for our border army, I'd like to invite everyone to drink at Yunji Dog Meat Bun Shop, shall we?"
...
...
Fan Gucheng.
In the study of Li Xiaozong, a border army lieutenant in Fan Gucheng.
The brazier burned brightly, with fine ash rising with the flames. The temperature inside was vastly different from outside, so warm that one didn't want to leave.
Li Xiaozong was the supreme commander of the 800 elite border troops in Fangu City. Although he was only a fifth-rank military officer, he undoubtedly wielded absolute power and status in this small city of Fangu, which was no more than three and a half li in length and width, and even in the vast area exceeding two hundred li in length and width.
He came from the Li family of Longyou. Although he was only a member of a collateral branch, he could still be considered a nobleman. From birth, he held the honorary title of Right Attendant, a seventh-rank official position—a status that a poor family might struggle their entire lives to achieve. However, what made Li Xiaozong most admirable was not his birth, but his talent.
Since he was transferred to the Fangu border army as a military officer three years ago, the area within his jurisdiction of two hundred li had become much more peaceful. In his first year, the border army launched thirty-three campaigns, killing over nine hundred bandits. Last year, the border army launched six campaigns, killing over two hundred bandits. This year… to be precise, since the border army killed bandits last June, a full eight months had passed before there was even one campaign.
Therefore, Li Xiaozong was somewhat troubled. The reported military merits were too low; how could he get more rewards? This thought startled him, and he couldn't help but reflect on when he had become so greedy…
He had just celebrated his twenty-sixth birthday last month. Not only did he come from a prestigious family, but he was also said to be a top student from the Imperial Martial Arts Academy, appointed as a border army officer immediately after graduation. This proved the rumor about him being a flamboyant… oh no, a playboy, figure at the academy was true.
It was said that Dean Zhou of the Martial Arts Academy, whose power wasn't the highest in the Imperial military, but whose prestige and status were absolutely the greatest, had once publicly praised Li Xiaozong. Dean Zhou, whose every word and action could influence the attitude of the Imperial military, said, "Li Xiaozong, if you haven't died because of your bad temper by the time you're thirty, then you're very likely to become the youngest governor in the empire."
This statement shows how much Dean Zhou valued Li Xiaozong, but Dean Zhou's next sentence was perhaps the key point.
"Of course, if nothing unexpected happens… you won't even live to twenty-five!" "An idiot who's studied at the Martial Arts Academy for three years and still only knows how to attack but not defend, and the Ministry of War actually plans to transfer you to the border city… I almost want to mourn for you now!"
Dean Zhou miscalculated, because Li Xiaozong has been living a d*mn good life in the border city for the past three years.
Whenever Li Xiaozong recalls Dean Zhou's comments, he can't help but laugh.
To be honest, it was indeed because of an accident that he became less reckless than before, because the world had become filled with so many wonderful things that he couldn't bear to die.
This accident was a young man named Fang Jie.
"Fang Juexiao…you really are a d*mn genius!"
Looking at the young man bending over the fire pit, warming his backside, Li Xiaozong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
...
...
Fang Jie, courtesy name Juexiao.
Three years ago, Li Xiaozong was appointed as a border military officer in Fangu City, and he also appeared in this small but famous city. In just one year, he became a celebrity in Fanggu City. To paraphrase Li Gandang, the border army's magistrate, this guy was d*mn good at making money!
Among the eight hundred border soldiers in Fanggu City, there were many who dared to bend over and warm themselves by the fire in Li Xiaozong's study. Li Xiaozong wasn't a stern general who inspired fear, and his study wasn't as difficult to enter as the boudoir of Xi Zhuxin, the only one in the Red Sleeve Pavilion who could perform the flowing sleeve dance. After all, the latter was supposedly still a virgin, while he… well, let's not talk about that.
But the only person who dared to bend over and warm themselves by the fire in Li Xiaozong's study, and warm their buttocks at that, was Fang Jie.
Steam was rising from his buttocks, floating up in a white haze.
"Did you pee?"
Li Xiaozong asked Fang Jie seriously.
"If there's no smell of urine, then it definitely isn't urine!"
Fang Jie, with his clean-cut and bright appearance, answered earnestly, "When Li Gan and his men were killing bandits, you have no idea how strong the wind was. To avoid freezing to death, I had to dig a snow cave and hide inside. It was the best way to conserve energy and maintain body temperature, but undeniably, sitting for a long time still made me wet..."
Feeling his bottom finally warm up, Fang Jie took out a stack of neatly arranged papers from his pocket and handed them to Li Xiaozong, saying, "Last month's revenue..." "It's alright, not particularly outstanding, but it's less than 10% more than the month before last."
"That's over a thousand taels of silver!"
Li Xiaozong exclaimed, "Fang Jie, were you sent by Heaven to bring blessings to Fan Gu City?"
Fang Jie straightened his clothes, then replied earnestly but also with a touch of smugness, "I was sent by Heaven to bring blessings to all mankind..."
"How could Heaven bear to send you down? If you stayed in Heaven, how much more silver would you have earned for him?"
Li Xiaozong sighed, looking at the silver notes in his hand.
"If the General has nothing else to do, I'd like to return to Jin Yuan Fang. Tomorrow is market day, and we need to prepare."
Fang Jie looked back, making sure his backside was no longer steaming, and prepared to leave.
"If you're not going back to sleep, I'll throw this stack of silver notes into the brazier and burn it."
Li Xiaozong rolled his eyes at him.
"For the sake of the silver notes... I have to take a nap."
Fang Jie said somewhat reluctantly. "Go ahead. I know you promised to treat Li Gantang to dog meat hotpot. Remember not to drink too much. If the enforcement team catches you, I can't bend the law."
"Don't worry, General."
Fang Jie said as he walked towards the door, "This isn't the first time I've eaten and drunk with the enforcement team. Last time, one team was pretending to arrest me, but after a couple of jugs of wine, they were acting like brothers with me. You know, those who eat another's food are bound to be grateful, and those who take another's money are bound to be lenient."
"It seems necessary to replace some members of the enforcement team..."
Li Xiaozong sighed, then shook his head: "Unless you replace myself, you'll always be the most special one in Fangu City. Go back to sleep; just looking at you annoys me!"
"Yes, sir!"
Fang Jie saluted, then turned and left the study. He had only taken three or four steps when he suddenly heard Li Xiaozong's voice drift faintly from behind: "Fang Juexiao, did you fart?"
Fang Jie was startled, wondering how the general had detected such a silent fart.
He turned around in surprise and asked, "General, has your skill improved again?"
Li Xiaozong shook his head and said seriously, "I... I saw it."
Fang Jie froze, then sighed to the heavens, "Fangu City is great in every way, except it's d*mn cold! He can even see a fart... he can see it..."